Duck fans love their Ducks no matter how we can see them, but we are especially fond of football and as week two of spring practice has begun there are plenty of storylines to get excited about.
Charles Nelson has made the transition from wide receiver to defensive back in order to bring some speed and power to a defense that lost leaders in the off season. The offensive line is playing well together while they find a replacement for Hroniss Grasu and the quarterback battle is as lively as ever.
With Nelson moving to the defensive side of the ball it could be safe to assume that head coach Mark Helfrich wanted to fill gaps on the defense with plenty of offensive talent at the wide receiver position. After all, Bralon Addison has returned after missing 2014. Devon Allen is set to return to football activity by fall camp and Dwayne Stanford was an excellent offensive weapon for the Ducks last season, catching 43 passes for 639 yards and six touchdowns.
Depth at the wide receiver position is not a concern for the Ducks by any stretch of the imagination but with Darren Carrington facing possible NCAA sanctions and Allen not getting drills in until fall, there may be an opening for 4-star recruit Alex Ofodile to make a name for himself heading into 2015.
Rob Moseley’s practice report from Monday’s practice pointed to the potential the freshman from Columbia, Missouri, has to make a splash on the Duck’s roster. The jump from high school to college is a challenge for every player, but with help from veteran players and assistants the No. 42 overall recruit has the tools at his fingertips to entertain a shot at greatness.
Ofodile racked up nearly 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior according to Damon Sayles, a Big 12 recruiting reporter, writing for ESPN. Troy Romstad of isportsweb.com notes that he continued to impress as a senior when he hauled in 96 catches for 1,610 yards. After receiving offers from 29 Division 1 programs including SEC recruiting machines such as Alabama and his childhood favorite Missouri, Ofodile decided his best fit would be in Eugene as a Duck.
Crowded roster aside, don’t sleep on Ofodile this spring, as he is poised to take advantage of his early enrollment.
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My name is Max Thornberry, and I am a sophomore at the University of Oregon studying journalism. I am from Ventura, CA but fell in love with Oregon when I visited last year and came to the Oregon vs. Cal game. I love sports and my hobbies mainly include fantasy baseball and football as well as playing sports video games. Growing up watching sports center and espn news I always wondered what I had to do in order to get a job where I got to talk sports every day, so when I saw an opportunity to intern for a sports news website (FishDuck.com) I couldn’t wait to get involved.